


Life Hangs On

by monkeywand



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2017-12-06 05:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkeywand/pseuds/monkeywand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He refuses to look back, knowing she'd made her decision, and now he was making his." What if Castle had left after Kate had told him it was over? Multi-chapt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...
> 
> A/N: This is basically my take on if Castle had left after Kate had told him they were over. May contain spoilers. Thanks to all who have continued to encourage me to write.
> 
> Note: Kate was never shot nor was Montgomery. He's still very much alive (I like him better than Gates anyhow). Alexis is older here than in the show so here she's in college at Stanford and Martha is off being Martha (She doesn't make an appearance in this story).
> 
> Originally inspired by the song Center Of Attention by Jackson Waters.
> 
> You want your independence  
> But you won't let me let you go  
> You wanna test the waters  
> And leavin' on the empty shores.
> 
> But I'll take my time if you want to  
> And I'll give you whatever you need  
> And I'll way down life time to give in to you  
> Give in to you.

Prologue

He stares down at the photograph in his hands. It's one them together, barely inches apart, having one of their silent conversations with their eyes. He figured it was probably Lanie who took the photo, the boys having been too intent on their game of poker.

He remembers this one clearly. A little girl, no more than five or six had been murdered. Her step-mother had led them on a wild-goose chase, until she'd finally slipped up when she flew into a rage at her youngest step daughter. The case had taken its toll on all of them, and they'd all been glad when the case-closed get-together had been postponed in favor of a good night's sleep.

They'd caught up the next evening after a half day (for most; he had spent the day with Alexis) of paperwork. Even the captain and Lanie had joined in. Montgomery, never one to pass up a poker game with Castle, and Lanie, because, as she put it, "Beckett is around testosterone all day. Why let her deal with it after work too?" He'd suspected it was because Esposito was there, not that he'd ever admit it out loud. He wanted to live, thank you.

He glances back down. There are four other photographs in a neat stack on the table top. Kate glaring. Kate blushing. Kate smirking. He liked that one. But his favorite was the very last one. Kate with her head thrown back in laughter. Her eyes were shining, her cheeks rosy, but he could still see the shadows beneath her eyes, reminiscent from the toll the case took.

He places the photos back in a neat pile, the one of them together on top. At the last minute, he pulls the one of her laughing from the stack, slipping it into his jacket pocket. A letter lays folded in his hands. A silent tear trails down his face, landing with a soft plop on the paper and he hasn't the heart to wipe it away. He props it up against the river-stone-filled jar in the center of the table.

He takes one last look at the loft behind him, then shuts the door, effectively closing off his life here. Downstairs, he loads the suitcases into the back of the taxi, instructing the driver to JFK airport. He takes the ride in silence, his mind wandering elsewhere.

Flashing his passport, ticket and following other airport protocol, he is soon standing outside the gateway to ride out of New York. He refuses to look back, knowing she'd made her decision, and now he was making his.

XXXXX

I know it's short but thoughts?

Monkeywand


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is basically my take on if Castle had left after Kate had told him they were over. May contain spoilers. Thanks to all who have continued to encourage me to write. Thanks to all who have reviewed!
> 
> Originally inspired by the song Center Of Attention by Jackson Waters.
> 
> You want your independence  
> But you won't let me let you go  
> You wanna test the waters  
> And leavin' on the empty shores.
> 
> But I'll take my time if you want to  
> And I'll give you whatever you need  
> And I'll way down life time to give in to you  
> Give in to you.

Chapter 1

"Hi Beckett," Esposito says. She breezes past him. "Bye Beckett." He shoots his partner a glance. Ryan shrugs. He knows no more about what's going on than the Hispanic man does. He looks down at the desk they share. There's folded letter propped up against the computers, and if he's not mistaken, it's addressed to the both of them.

"Hey, Castle left us a note."

Esposito snatched up the letter, giving it a quick scan over. "Uh oh," he says warily.

"Uh oh?" Ryan echoes questionably.

"Read it, bro." Ryan does.

"Castle's leaving."

"Uh huh."

"He and Beckett fought?"

"Uh huh."

"Dude, can you say anything else other than 'uh huh'?" He scans the note. "I wonder if Beckett knows he's left yet."

"Beckett's coming," Esposito hisses as Ryan shoves the letter beneath some paperwork.

"You guys seen Castle?" she asks almost casually. The boys aren't fooled.

"Nope," they answer innocently. She scowls. Not that she'd really wanted to see the writer. She'd had enough of the man to last her a lifetime.

"I'm going to see Lanie," she growls, taking her coffee with her. The boys share a look before Esposito sends a quick text, warning his girlfriend about Beckett's strange mood, and Castle's recent departure.

XXXXX

Lanie's words tumble around and around in her mind. The one phrase, "He loves you. Why are you so afraid?" haunts her the most. Why is she so afraid? She is so engrossed in her thoughts that she misses both the text and the shocked look her friend gets.

 _'Castle's_ _gone._ _S'posedly_ _visiting_ _Alexis._ _You_ _tell_ _B?'_  says the message. Lanie ponders for a moment, wanting neither Castle to leave nor Beckett to be angry that she was the last to find out.

"Girl, I'm gonna smack you." Lanie fixes her with a hard stare. "I love you but, damn, you are slow. The guy is madly in love with you. Hell, even Ryan knows it and it took him that long to figure out Javi and I were together."

"That's only because Castle took pity on him and told him."

"Exactly." She gives the medical examiner an incredulous look.

"Don't look at me like that, girl." Her voice softens. "Kate, honey, he loves you, but he's also human. I don't know how long he'll stick around, waiting for you to overcome your insecurities." Lanie pauses, waiting a beat. "He's also leaving." Kate looks up, shocked.

"Leaving?" she echoes. Lanie nods, watching the barrage of emotions flitter over her friend's face.

"I, uh, I'll catch up with you later, 'kay?" Kate stutters, backing out of the room.

The medical examiner watches her go, hoping for the best.

XXXXX

She steps out of the elevator, heading straight for Montgomery's office. She barely notices that the bull pen is quiet, that the boys aren't at their desks. She knocks at his door, waiting for his gruff answer before entering. Esposito and Ryan seem to be deep conversation with the captain, having stopped only when she entered. Montgomery waves them away, ushering her further inside.

"Beckett, what can I do for you?" he asks pleasantly.

"Uh, I need to take the afternoon off," she starts.

"Done. Anything else?"

"Sir?" She is confused.

"Take the afternoon, Beckett. Ryan and Esposito can handle anything that comes through today." She hesitates. "Go." She scrams, exiting the office as fast as she entered. She doesn't hear his final words though.

"Go get him, Kate." Montgomery whispers to her retreating back.

* * *

Slightly longer. Thoughts?

Monkeywand


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is basically my take on if Castle had left after Kate had told him they were over. May contain spoilers. Thanks to all who have continued to encourage me to write.
> 
> Originally inspired by the song Center Of Attention by Jackson Waters.
> 
> You want your independence  
> But you won't let me let you go  
> You wanna test the waters  
> And leavin' on the empty shores.
> 
> But I'll take my time if you want to  
> And I'll give you what ever you need  
> And I'll way down life time to give in to you  
> Give in to you.
> 
> NOTE: Spoilers for 3x24 Knockout

Chapter 2

She steps inside her own apartment, stopping only to drop her stuff on the entrance table. She slumps listlessly on the couch, her mind racing. "He's leaving." One photograph catches her eye as she stares forward. Grabbing the picture frame, she thinks back to the last time she'd seen him.

_She was annoyed. "Castle, they killed my mother. What do you want me to do here?"_

" _Walk away."_

_Stunned, she mouths, "What?"_

" _They're going to kill you, Kate. If you don't care about that, at least think about how that's going to affect the people that love you. You really want to put your dad through that? What about Josh?"_

" _What about you, Rick?"_

" _Of course, I don't want anything to happen to you. I'm your partner. I'm your friend."_

" _Is that what we are?" she finalizes._

" _Alright, you know what? I don't know what we are." He steps closer to her, his voice still low. "We kiss, and then we never talk about it. We nearly die, frozen in each other's arms, but we never talk about it, so I got no clue what we are. I know I don't want to see you throw your life away."_

" _Yeah, well, last time I checked, it was my life, not your personal jungle gym," she says loudly. "And for the past three years, I have been running around with the schools' funniest kid. And it's not enough." She walks past him, ready to show him the door._

" _You know what? This isn't about your mother's case anymore. This is about you needing a place to hide." She stops and spins, facing him. "Because you've been chasing this thing so long, you're afraid to find out who you are without it."_

" _You don't know me, Castle. You think you do, but you don't," she yells._

" _I know you crawled inside your mother's murder and didn't come out. I know you hide there, same way you hide in these relationships with men you don't love. You could be happy, Kate. You deserve to be happy. But you're afraid."_

_It's the words she speak next that hit them both. Her voice is deadly quiet. "You know what we are, Castle? We are over. Now, get out."_

She drops the photograph, grabbing her keys and purse. She is out the door even before the picture has time to settle. Down the stairs she flies, too impatient for the lift. Shoving the key into the ignition, she takes off. She is tempted to use the back-up siren in her car, but immediately dismisses the thought. Instead, she settles for toeing the line, speeding but not with one destination in mind.

"Come on," she mutters, pounding on the door. She wonders if he is even home, but shakes her head. His car is still there, and evidentially he hadn't told anyone not to let her into the building.

"Rick, it's me. Please, open up." No answer. Making an executive decision, she inserts her key, the one he hadn't asked for back, into the lock. The door swings open, and she can tell at once, no one is home. There is something about the silence of the loft that elicits a melancholy in her.

She steps inside slowly, eyes roaming, hoping, even though there's no chance. The click of the door echoes behind her, making her flinch. She shivers in her coat, although she is not cold. Walking further inside, she spies a simple folded note, propped up against a river-stone-filled jar.

Almost hesitantly, she flicks open the paper.

_Kate_ , it says in his scrawled writing.

" _Meeting_ _you_ _was_ _fate,_ _becoming_ _your_ _friend_ _was_ _a_ _choice,_ _but_ _falling_ _in_ _love_ _with_ _you_ _I_ _had_ _no_ _control_ _over._ " She can hear his voice as clearly in her mind as if he were reading it aloud.

It's simply signed  _Rick_. That hits her harder than if he'd written Castle. Beside his name, she can see the faint run where liquid - most probably a stray tear - had landed.

In shock, she wanders the house aimlessly, the words of his letter tumbling around in her head. Signs of his disappearance are evident. No laptop quietly humming on the desk, no jacket thrown over the back of the couch. In the bedroom, the bed is neatly made, and the bedside tables free of any knickknacks that make the room personal.

She sits down gingerly, one hand smoothing out the invisible crinkles her petite weight has made. The realization hits her and she crumbles in the center of the bed. Silent tears gave way to quiet sobbing, until her whole body shakes.

* * *

Thoughts?

Monkeywand

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is basically my take on if Castle had left after Kate had told him they were over. May contain spoilers. Thanks to all who have continued to encourage me to write.
> 
> Originally inspired by the song Center Of Attention by Jackson Waters.
> 
> You want your independence  
> But you won't let me let you go  
> You wanna test the waters  
> And leavin' on the empty shores.
> 
> But I'll take my time if you want to  
> And I'll give you whatever you need  
> And I'll way down life time to give in to you  
> Give in to you.

Chapter 3

They say time flies when you're having fun. Well, it must be true because the trip was far from fast and far from fun. He spent most of it lost between staring out the window and staring down at the one photograph he couldn't leave behind. He traces one finger over her face, taking in the features he needs not to remember, but won't ever forget.

"She's a pretty 'un," a soft voice beside him says. He has to agree. "Don't want to leave a pretty 'un like that behind." The old lady gives toothy grin. "Best you know that, son." That said, she promptly falls in to sleep. He does know that. But try telling that to his heart.

He's not given much thought on what his daughter's reaction will be to his appearance. He hopes she will be happy. God knows how much he has missed her since she had been gone. Closing his eyes, he tries to pass the time by taking a nap.

XXXXX

" _I'm sorry, Castle. I just wasn't strong enough," Kate whispers, dying._

" _Beckett? Kate? C'mon Kate, don't do this to me. Kate. KATE!"_

"Kate... Kate," Castle mumbles, tossing from side to side. His eyes flash open as he pants heavily. Hazel green eyes stare back closely at him.

"Ahh," he screams, jumping back. He realizes it's the old lady from the seat next to him. He holds his hand to his heart, willing it to stop its erratic dance. The lady grins at him but doesn't move out of his personal bubble.

"Nightmares, son?"

He blinks. "Uh, something like that."

"To do with your lady friend?" she asks with a jerk at the photograph clenched in his hands. He doesn't answer but her eyes twinkle, reading him.

"Better fix that, son, before it's too late. I hope you're not running away. It's never good to run away from your problems. Take it from someone who knows."

"Uh..."

"Besides, we're almost here. Best I be getting back to my seat." She stands cautiously.

"Wait, you mean, this isn't your seat?" He is confused.

"Of course not, silly." She shuffles away, chuckling, leaving him more confused than ever. He thinks back to his nightmare as the old lady had so eloquently put it.

He didn't want to see Kate die. And he wasn't running away. Merely moving on. She'd made it clear she didn't need him around anymore. He shakes his head, hoping to clear the image of Kate and the unwanted thoughts it brought.

XXXXX

"Dad?" a red-headed girl asks, stopping short.

"Hello daughter," he greets.

"Dad!" she exclaims, throwing her arms around her father. "What are you doing here? Where's Kate?"

"Uh..." For once, he doesn't know how to answer. Luckily for him, she can read it on his face.

"Stacey, Lauren, I'll catch up with you guys later, 'kay?" The girls with her nod and wave. He waves back. She ushers her father over to a shady part on campus before demanding, "Spill."

He does, letting her know all that had transpired in the past week or so. By the time he is finished, darkness had set in. Both are solemn and his eyes are shiny with unshed tears.

She breaks the silence first, wondering what to do now.

* * *

Just a short filler chapter. Thoughts anyway?

Monkeywand

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is basically my take on if Castle had left after Kate had told him they were over. May contain spoilers. Thanks to all who have continued to encourage me to write.
> 
> Originally inspired by the song Center Of Attention by Jackson Waters.
> 
> You want your independence  
> But you won't let me let you go  
> You wanna test the waters  
> And leavin' on the empty shores.
> 
> But I'll take my time if you want to  
> And I'll give you whatever you need  
> And I'll way down life time to give in to you  
> Give in to you.
> 
> A/N: One thing I will point out, I am not American. I have never been to the US, so I'm sorry if I get details wrong.

Chapter 4

3 Months Later...

She was lost. He was gone. And every day only served to remind her of that fact. There was no coffee waiting for her in the mornings. She didn't have to readjust her chair every time she came back from a break. There was no figurine or small Castle-esk notes left on her desk. Most of all, there was no witty banter to brighten her mornings.

She missed him. That was the truth. Not that she'd admit it out loud. But still.

She sighs and drops her head into her hands. She'd read the same sentence at least three time and she still hadn't taken it in.

Ryan and Esposito exchange a quick look. Somber Beckett was something they'd gotten used to over the past three months. But it didn't mean they liked it. Kate raises her head, startling the boys. She narrows her eyes but shakes her head.

"Ryan, where are we on those phone records?"

"Uh, nothing here."

"Esposito, what about that subpoena?"

"Should be here within the hour."

Kate frowns. "I'll be back." She walks away leaving the boys to exchange glances.

"You remember the games we used to play to pass the time, back when Castle was here?" Ryan asks, thinking wistfully. She freezes, still within hearing range.

"Yeah, well, Castle's not here, so find some other work to do," she snaps, stalking off. Esposito slaps the back of Ryan's head.

"What'd you go and do that for?"

Ryan looks guilty. "Oops." There is a pause before he asks, "How do you think he is?"

Esposito flicks his gaze over to Kate getting into the elevator then back at his partner.

"Same as she."

"Yeah." The boys sit in silence lost in their own thoughts.

XXXXX

Kate sits upon an autopsy table, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Alright, girl, spill," Lanie demands. She strips her gloves off her hands, discarding them into the waste basket, coming to a stop opposite the detective.

"Spill what?" Kate is determined to avoid the topic.

"Don't give me that. You know what. You've been moping around here," Kate snorts and Lanie glares, "for three months now. Maybe it's up to you to try and fix this." Kate rolls her eyes, knowing there was no way Lanie would drop the subject.

"He left me, remember?"

"You?" Lanie asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean...us. He was the one who left to go God knows where without much more than a note goodbye." She still hasn't told Lanie about the letter he'd left in his apartment for her.

"So, take the first step. Girl, you've been head over heels for Writer Boy since day one. It's time to make your move."

"Lanie, this is not some game of chess where we can move at will," Kate cries, exasperated.

"Kate," Lanie says softly, looking her friend dead in the eye. "I don't like interfering in personal affairs, well, maybe I do, but my guess he's just as miserable as you are. You're both just too stubborn to admit it. It was fate that made you two meet, but now that you're best of friends and love each other, you run in the opposite direction."

Kate's head shoots up so fast, it's a wonder she doesn't give herself whip-lash. Those words were vaguely familiar. Castle's letter come's floating in her mind.

 _'Meeting_ _you_ _was_ _fate,_ _b ecoming_ _your_ _friend_ _was_ _a_ _choice,_ _but_ _falling_ _in_ _love_ _with_ _you_ _I_ _had_ _no_ _control_ _over,'_ he'd written.

She jumps off the table, startling her friend.

"Thanks Lanie," she cries, dashing from the room. Lanie shakes her head at the retreating detective's back, grumbling about emotionally impaired people.

XXXXX

She sighs impatiently the whole way from the ME's office until the precinct. When the elevator doors finally open revealing an almost empty bull pen, she is glad.

She knows it's probably illegal what she is doing, but at the moment, she doesn't care. Tapping a few buttons, the information she'd been searching for pops up. She looks around, guilty for spying, but also to ensure she is not caught.

Jotting down the information on a sticky note, she exits out of the browser. It isn't until she is free of the precinct that she truly takes in what she has written down.

' _Palo_ _Alto_ _and_ _Los_ _Angeles,_ ' the scrawled writing says. She rolls her eyes at the second. Of course.

She has one of two choices. Stanford or Hollywood. A quick phone call confirms that no one is currently at the Hollywood home. That leaves only one place to go. A few more phone calls, and she set for the next flight out of New York.

* * *

Thoughts?

Monkeywand


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is basically my take on if Castle had left after Kate had told him they were over. May contain spoilers. Thanks to all who have continued to encourage me to write.
> 
> Originally inspired by the song Center Of Attention by Jackson Waters.
> 
> You want your independence  
> But you won't let me let you go  
> You wanna test the waters  
> And leavin' on the empty shores.
> 
> But I'll take my time if you want to  
> And I'll give you whatever you need  
> And I'll way down life time to give in to you  
> Give in to you.
> 
> NOTE: Spoilers for 4x01 Rise.

Chapter 5

She stands out the front of a nondescript building. It was funny. Somehow she figured he'd he'd pick something more out there. The doorman eyes her as she walks up to the front door. She whips out her badge, knowing she could get into a heap of trouble if anyone found out that it wasn't technically valid here.

The doorman's eye widen and he ushers her in. "Anyone I should be worried 'bout?" he asks in a gruff voice. She shakes her head.

"Just a few questions I want ask. No reason to worry." The doorman relaxes slightly. "G'luck and g'day, ma'am." He tips his hat then resumes watching the streets.

In the elevator, she flicks the button for the top floor. Of course he'd be at the very top. Stepping out, she takes a deep breath, readying herself.

"You can do this," she mutters inwardly. Bracing herself, she knocks upon the door. Seconds tick past before a voice speaks from the other side.

"How much-" the voice dies as the door is opened. "Kate," the other person whispers.

"Dad, what's taking so long? I'm- Oh, Detective Beckett." Alexis appears next to her father who is standing frozen still. An awkward silence envelopes the group.

"Um, I'll leave you two to talk. Dad, I'll grab something at Shawna's, okay? Bye." The red-head exits quickly, leaving the two former partners alone.

"So," Kate says, breaking the silence. This breaks Castle out of his trance.

"Detective Beckett, why don't you come in." She winces inwardly at the formalness of his words, but steps inside, sitting gingerly upon one of the sofas.

"Drink?"

"Huh? I mean, no... thank you." He comes and sits on the other sofa, opposite her. She glances around.

"Nice place."

He gaze barely leaves hers as he answers. "Thank you." A silence falls over them and she realizes it's up to her to speak first.

"I'm sorry." He doesn't answer. "For everything." She looks at him.

His words are cold. "Is that all? You can let yourself out then." He stands, heading off down the hallway.

"Castle, wait." He doesn't stop.

"I did. Three months. You've not called."

"You're angry."

"You're damn right I'm angry." He spins to face her. "I stayed around, not just for you, Beckett, but for me. It hurt me to watch you running yourself ragged, searching for your mother's killer. I left because I couldn't take it anymore. You were in a free-fall, Kate, heading for a very dangerous landing. As I've said before, I don't hang around you just to annoy you. I don't ride out to murder scenes in the middle of the night to satisfy some morbid curiosity. If that's all this was, I would've quit a long time ago."

There is a pause before she speaks.

"Castle, look, I couldn't call you. Not without dragging myself into everything I was just trying to get space from. I needed some time to just work through everything," she explains.

"Josh help you with that?"

"We broke up." She leaves this time, shutting the door behind her with a loud click that reverberates around the now silent room.

Castle curses, and scrubs his face with fisted hands. This is not how he imagined they see each other again. Truth is he hadn't imagined how they'd meet again. All he knows is he wishes it'd been better than this.

* * *

There's also a line from a previous ep hidden in this chapter. Which line is it and which ep is it from?

Thoughts?

Monkeywand

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is basically my take on if Castle had left after Kate had told him they were over. May contain spoilers. Thanks to all who have continued to encourage me to write.
> 
> Originally inspired by the song Center Of Attention by Jackson Waters.
> 
> You want your independence  
> But you won't let me let you go  
> You wanna test the waters  
> And leavin' on the empty shores.
> 
> But I'll take my time if you want to  
> And I'll give you whatever you need  
> And I'll way down life time to give in to you  
> Give in to you.
> 
> A/N: And so we have come to the end of our journey... Sorry it's so short (see A/N at end). Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed! Oh and well done to y'all who guessed correctly. It was from 3x13 Knockdown.

Chapter 6

She finds herself walking around aimlessly. A park comes into view and she spots a few benches scattered around. She collapses upon one, grateful to be sitting for the moment. It's mid afternoon and the area is slowly being filled up with children being released from school.

One pair catches her eye. A father and daughter are tossing a Frisbee back and forth, the father throwing the disk just high enough that the daughter has to jump but can still reach the flying disk. It reminds her of her own childhood. The times when her parents had taken her to the park after school or on the weekends if they were free. She remembers tossing a ball around with her dad whilst her mom would sit on the picnic blanket beneath the shade. She wonders if she will ever share the same experience with her own child. If she ever had one, that is.

"Reminds me of Alexis and me," a voice says quietly from behind her. She jumps, ready to give the owner an earful. The sight, however, surprises her. There stands Castle, two takeaway cups in hand.

"Grande skim latte, two pumps of vanilla. Your favorite," he states, holding out one cup. She is touched he remembers. She thanks him and gestures to the empty seat beside her. He sits and quietly sips his coffee.

"So, you and Alexis, huh?" she asks, nodding at the father daughter pair now playing on the swing set.

"Uh huh. I'd bring Alexis out to the park almost everyday. She loved being pushed on the swing. Even as she grew older, she'd still let me push her on the swing." He trails off, thinking of fond memories. They sit in comfortable silence, drinking their coffee, watching the people play. That is, until Castle brings up the reason for his trip out there.

"So why'd you guys break up?"

"I really, really liked him. But that wasn't enough." She stares at him, watching, waiting. "After my mother was killed, something inside me changed. It was like I built up this wall inside. I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to hurt like that again. I know I'm not going to be able to be the kind of person I want to be. I know I'm not gonna..." She trails off, unsure of what to say net. He looks at her. "Not gonna be able to have the kind of relationship that I want 'til the wall comes down."

They stare at each other, trying to read one another. She is the first to break their gaze.

"So, what happens next?" she asks carefully, a smile tugging hesitantly on her lips. It is cautious, like her, that the moment could be gone in the blink of an eye.

"Honestly? I... don't know."

 _To_ _be_ _continued_...

* * *

Okay, so I've left this as a "To be continued..." I don't know what's happening next. I kinda lost how I wanted to endd/continue the story in my head. But I'd like to maybe one day write a sequel for this. Hopefully. No fingers crossed.

Thoughts anyway please!

Monkeywand


End file.
